Monkeyflowers Peak Too Soon

Download PDF

Arghh! The monkeyflowers (Mimulus aurantiacus and cultivars) are looking great, but a month too early. I had hoped that they would hold off a bit longer and be blooming for the wedding.

G100509_4726-1

I expected the globe gilia (Gilia capitata) to be finished, but was hoping the Margarita BOP penstemon (Penstemon heterophyllus ‘Margarita BOP’) wouldn’t be so far along.

G100509_4700-1

I expected the tidytips (Layia platyglossa) to be gone, but had hoped the pink clarkias (Clarkia bottae) to be around.

G100509_4694-1

So I am watering and cutting back the California poppies (Eschscholzia californica), monkeyflowers (Mimulus), and clarkias (Clarkia), and making lots of bouquets.

G100508_4686-1

The nasturtium – (Yes, I know they are invasive, and no, I didn’t plant them but I enjoy them every spring before yanking them out. Unfortunately they seed like crazy, but they are pretty.) – are wild and have been blooming for over a month now. Will there be any left in mid-June?

G100509_4692-1

So I transplanted some of the sunflowers into the parkway garden – two have gotten stepped on already, so who knows whether they will survive, or bloom on schedule.

G100509_4690-1

The pots look good, but will they flower on June 12th or will they hold off until the 13th????

G100509_4712-1

I have a new respect for horticultural florists who must make nature perform on an exact schedule!

3 thoughts on “Monkeyflowers Peak Too Soon

  1. Cool – a orange monkeyflower in a &#39;shrub&#39; form to boot. Definitely not what I expected to see.<br /><br />I&#39;m used to seeing purple/blue natives around here. (Mimulus ringens)<br />I usually find them emerging from shallow water along the river bank.

  2. Isn&#39;t it interesting how nature makes its own decisions. Beautiful flowers, I hope you enjoy them even if they&#39;re a bit off schedule. <br /><br />BTW, my sunflower seed package said clearly &quot;transplant before roots start to fill the pot&quot; or some such thing. Are you sure you can grow them in pots? Mine (transplanted) aren&#39;t doing all that great, probably should have started

  3. Hi TM – well the ones I put in pots are miniature and they said they were okay for pots. We&#39;ll see! <br /><br />I just need something to fret about for the wedding and this seems to be an innocuous enough thing. I could worry about the unlikely rain event which would be pretty bad!

Comments are closed.